Greetings, Mister Principal

"Dear Mr. Reiner Ian Gray, we are honored to invite you to the 'Mercury Balance Annual Meeting' held on the third Friday of the Month of Flowing Fire to discuss academic issues with you. All expenses will be paid by the Mercury Balance. I'm looking forward to meeting you. Frederick Demetrius."

Opening the invitation letter, Reiner found that there was such a letter inside.

He verified the magic signature on the envelope. It was indeed an official letter from the mercury balance. As for the signature of Frederick Demetrius, if Claire was by his side, she would definitely jump up in surprise.

Because that was the leader of the Mercury Balance, a ninth-ring mage.

For a while, even Reiner was a little skeptical, worried that some academic authority tried to lure him out and then steal his work and then kill them quickly. But soon, he learned from Mrs. Michel that these formal invitations all have backup records in the high-level magic council. If Reiner had any accidents on the way, even the legendary mage would have to suffer the same severe punishment.

The laws in this world were very strict. Reiner sighed with emotion. In this case, he had no more worries. If the other party really wanted to murder him, then he may have been killed the moment he opened the letter.

There were still a few pieces of paper in the invitation letter. Reiner looked at it and found some maps and round-trip tickets. It seemed that the other party had indeed arranged the itinerary for him. Reiner only needed to think about what he should bring with him.

"But two tickets?"

Reiner looked at the two tickets without a time limit in his hand, and fell into thinking.

Presumably, the Mercury Balance thought that he would bring someone with him, so they bought two tickets for him. If it were a few days ago, Reiner might bring Claire, but at this time, she was still weak, so he might have to find someone else.

He had thought about taking Sharon, but considering the identity issue, Reiner finally gave up the proposal.

Mr. Antoine needed to be responsible for the production of Cola. Recently, many alchemists were asking him to authorize the production line. Naturally, he would not have time as well.

"It seems that I can only go there alone."

Reiner laughed at himself. It seemed that there were a lot of inconveniences in the girls' school.

But when he put away the invitation letter and returned to his room, he found that the tiger-stripe patterned cat was already waiting on the soft bed.

"Should I take this cat with me?"

Reiner jokingly said.

However, before Reiner's voice fell, he noticed that the cat glared at him disgustingly, and then jumped out of the window with a meow, as if it thought that Reiner was going to do something indescribable to it.

"Er...... Alright then."

In the end, Reiner decided to go alone, but he left another ticket and a note with the cause of his disappearance at Claire's bedside. He had heard that the scenery near Lake Wagner where the meeting would be held was good. If Claire woke up, she could treat it as a holiday.

......

It was not until he packed his things that Reiner suddenly realized that it was the first time he left Luna Nova Magical Academy and nearby towns and visited other places in this world. He followed the map to the provincial capital where Luna Nova Magical Academy was located, and in here, he would take the regular airship "Grecia" to Lake Wagner.

Torrendo was much more prosperous than Prester. There were many buildings, and most of the pedestrians wore decent and neat clothes. People in the streets and alleys were talking about current affairs and politics, cutting-edge products, and other topics. Except that everyone was not holding a mobile phone, Reiner felt that this was not much different from a city on earth.

He even found a store selling Cola. Although there were only a few shops, this trendy drink from the south was quickly loved by the trendy city people. Reiner found that there were long lines in those shops. People often cheered or frustrated for the mage cards they had drawn.

But he didn't stay for too long. He bought two bottles of Cola and put them in his storage bag for later use. Then, after simply writing down the contact information of several larger alchemy workshops in Torrendo, he set off for the port.

It was not until Reiner saw the port that he finally understood a question that he had always had in his mind, and that was why a city that was inland, and with only one Torrendo River flowing through, had a port built far away from the river bank.

Because what was anchored in that port was not a traditional ship.

The huge keel formed the shape of the hull. Above the steel-clad shell was a huge chimney with white smoke. The whole ship was suspended in mid-air, connecting with the pier protruding from the towering building with a certain surreal look.

"Is this Grecia?"

Reiner couldn't help but be amazed by it, not only because this was the first time he saw a floating ship driven by magical power, but also because of the strong magic technique system revealed in it.

If it was just having flame coming out of one's fingertips, he would not be that surprised. But the airship represented a highly advanced magic technology, whether it was hull design, power system, including various control devices, these were all created by magic, reflecting the extent of this world's use of magic.

Although he wanted to find out how the airship worked, it was clear that Reiner didn't have the authority. When he stopped to look up at the ship, a person behind him bumped into him very hard.

"Ouch."

As Reiner evaded in time, the opponent staggered and finally stood firm.

"I'm sorry, I......"

Before Reiner had time to apologize, he had already been scolded by the other party.

"What is wrong with you! Fortunately, this lord's clothes were not soiled, otherwise, you can't even afford to pay for it!"

The man was a middle-aged man with a big belly, wearing a monocle and a top hat. His cane clacked on the ground fiercely as he scolded Reiner in anger.

"Huh! He must be a hillbilly. It must take him a long time to save money to board this ship."

He grumbled in a low voice in dissatisfaction. Obviously, Reiner's slightly plain dress made the man mistakenly think that Reiner was a poor merchant from the countryside. The man wanted to say something, but the horn of the ship had already sounded.

"Pay more attention when you are walking in the future!"

The man seemed to be on the Grecia too. He hurried to the tower with his cane and his limping legs.

Reiner was a little helpless, but he didn't care too much. He also sorted his clothes and walked towards the tower, quickly surpassing the slow pace of the man.

"Do you need any help?"

Reiner said this when he walked past the man, making the man turn ugly. He cursed in his mouth, and sped up with difficulty.

After finishing boarding with the man one after the other, Reiner walked behind him and headed into the cabin.

"I'm telling you, a lower-class ticket is not something that you should be proud of. I can enjoy the first-class service, and I can enjoy the latest drink Cola for free. You won't be able to make this money for a lifetime!"

The man had obviously thought that Reiner was a poor hillbilly, and while saying this, he showed his ticket to the staff.

"The twenty-fifth seat in the first-class cabin, welcome to board Gracia, dear passenger."

The staff showed a friendly smile. The respectful attitude made the man very happy. He glanced at Reiner, clearly wanting to show off. But then he found that Reiner had pulled out a golden ticket.

"The Seventh Deluxe Cabin, welcome to board Gracia, you are our most distinguished guest, please wait a moment, my colleague will take you to your cabin."

The staff bowed slightly, making the man's jaws drop to the ground.

This guy could actually afford a ticket for a deluxe cabin? ？ ？

He just stared blankly at Reiner being taken away by another member of staff, unable to recover for a long time